If you could do it all over - Reloading Equipment purchases

Mudduck

Mudduck

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The Kawarthas
After listening to different discussions it sounds like many people buy reloading kits only to find some items are not suitable for their needs or they get equipment they never really use; then they have to purchase other/additional equipment which means they spent a lot of extra money on stuff they didnt need or stuff they should have bought the first time.
I am trying to determine if there is one kit ( brand) that that works well for someone doing some target shooting meaning -I want a reasonable amount of accuracy but Im not competing which may mean I dont need the cadillac of equipment. I enjoy target shooting but I dont have the time to devote the kind of hours that others can. I also love hunting and would like to spend a lot more time practicing but with some calibers ( ie 300 Whby) the cost of ammo is somewhat prohibitive unless I reload.. Listed below are the calibers and what they are used for. I would appreciate your input before I begin to bite the bullet .. and begin to reload

For target shooting my main 2 calibers would be 308 and 22-250 so I would like better precision then factory loads
For hunting I use 270 wsm, 300 Whby & 30-06. Obviously 30-06 is fairly cheap to buy but the other 2 get expensive :(
I am also getting into handguns - currently only have 22s but I plan to upgrade to a larger caliber next year - not entirely sure what I want. I dont think this will be a major part of my shooting time so Im not too concerned at this point about needing to reload huge amounts of pistol ammo

Lastly do you have preferred places to purchase equipment as well as the various components - I live in southern Ontario if that makes any difference - shipping charges vs local. I can wait for sale prices so are the best sales for reloading equipment in December or January? or when??
 
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Rockchuker kit is a great starting point, just need dies and case trimming equipment.

On sale at Prophet River right now.

A digital scale is always an asset to precision loading with any type of efficiency.

The Chargemaster(scale and dispenser) combo is also a great addition to any loading bench.You trim cases or clean or whatever you like while your powder is getting ready for you between charges.
 
I wouldn't change a thing in my setup and most of the items are doubled as well. IMHO the best reloading equipment and best value is the one I use right now (and trust me I had many many opportunities to change it at will); Lee clasic cast single stage press, orange (pre China made) Lyman mod 55 powder measure, older Lyman Pro 500 powder scale, Herters brass trimmer (exact copy of Wilson's) Ohaus powder dribbler, Lee Auto Prime and full drawer of Hornady New Dimension and Pacific Durachrome dies. I stay away from latest imported equipment for obvious reason....
 
wouldnt change a thing, bout the cheap 30$ lee classic kits to learn the basics on,

then bought a a dillion 550, never looked back
 
What I bought in the 1970's I'd buy again. RCBS Rockchucker press, RCBS, Redding, Lyman Dies, RCBS and later in the 90's a Harrel Powder measures, RCBS 10-10 scale.
Still going strong and many rifle comps won. Eyes are getting older now. Still turns out reasonable amounts of pistol ammo, but that never mattered.
 
I have only been loading for a year or so, but I have done thousands of pistol rounds with a Lee single stage and I am totally happy with it. I just started using the auto-prime and it is significantly better than the ram prime that goes with the press. (The primer feed attachment that comes with the anniversary kit is crap.) Single stage is the way to go when you are starting out. I bought a digital scale and never used the balance beam scale or scoops that come with the Lee kit.
I just got my first component orders from Budget Shooter Supply and I am very happy with the purchases, the shipping to Ontario was a bit steep, but I could not find reasonably priced bullets elsewhere.
 
I went from a single stage to a turret press and from a scale to a Chargemaster combo. Both were good upgrades.
 
A good single stage to start. (Rockchucker kit still works perfect for me). I'm kinda partial to Forster dies, but they all work.

The only major upgrades I've made are an RCBS Chargemaster (that thing is awesome), and a Hornady LNL case prep center (also awesome).

I also got a Hornady LNL progressive to keep up with the mass production stuff but its not really necessary.
 
The only thing I would change in my equipment would be to only buy Redding dies right from the start. I bought a Lee Classic turret press and an RCBS Chargemaster combo right off the start and don't regret either one. Yes, the chargemaster is pricey, but it is the Cadillac solution to throwing charges quickly and accurately.


Mark
 
How does the Lyman DPS 1200 compare to the RCBS Chargemaster? Does anyone know if you can buy reloading equipment in the US and bring it into Canada? - Im only talking about the equipment
 
I would buy the top line RCBS kit with the Rockchucker and Chargemaster, as well as a spare Universal primer, so that I can have one set up for each primer size, and I would go with a full line of Redding Neck Bushing die sets.
 
Sinclair arbor press, Wilson hand dies, lee hand primer, stainless pins and a thumblers, chargemaster, RCBS 505 or 1010, any powder funnel, starret or Mitutoyo calipers, Forster trimmer, and an annealing station to triple the life of my brass.

Save a bundle on the press and dies but have the best, spend it on the real time savers that are very accurate, get equipment that doesn't overwork the brass.

IMHO anyway
 
Mudduck said:
How does the Lyman DPS 1200 compare to the RCBS Chargemaster? Does anyone know if you can buy reloading equipment in the US and bring it into Canada? - Im only talking about the equipment
Click to expand...

My Lyman has been going strong for many years while my buddy's Chargemaster has calved twice in the last 3 years.

Equipment from any of the major manufacturers will work to produce accurate ammunition. Most of the variance in quality is due to the operator and his ability to to produce consistent ammunition.

One tool I would really recommend is a cartridge comparator of some sort. Unless you can measure how concentric your loaded rounds are you can spend countless hours running down the wrong path in the search for accuracy. Optimal bullet seating depth, shoulder setback, or powder charge mean little if you have a rifle with a banana-shaped chamber, out-of-round throat, or assembled cartridges with 10 thousandths of bullet run-out.

Another tool I find indispensable is a chronograph. Until you can actually measure bullet velocity and inconsistency you are literally shooting in the dark.
 
I might replace my LNL with another loadmaster. The LNL is good, but it's still has issues and costs when kitted out about double. Right now my volumes don't really justify it. I would still buy the Lee turret press and Pro 1000, they keep trucking along. the one thing I would get right away is the media separator.
 
Co-ax Press for sizing, 21st century arbour press for seating, forster sizing dies (non-bushing) with wilson in-line seaters. Wft trimmer, magnetic restoration scale (gd503?) simple powder thrower and a trickler.
 
I recently upgraded my Dillon powder charge bars with the Uniquetek micrometer adjustment. I wish I had bought it off the bat instead of the MRDial. The MRDial is OK, but the Uniquetek is so much more precise and less fiddly.
 
I got a lee classic single set up for free from a friend, so with 0 dollars out, I can't complain.
BUT:
1) a better bench. I bought a sh*tty cambodian tire bench and still shake my head.
2) powered case trimmer.

so far my RCBS case prep center has paid dividends to my brass prep time.
the Hornady LNL auto dispenser... maybe not so much. Throws overcharges after it warms up, doesn't meter imr4064 worth a damn; but it's easy to change powders.
 
If I could do it again. I wouldnt buy a hornady single stage for pistol reloading! by the time I added up the accessories I was close to the price of a hornady progressive, and it takes forever to reload lots of rounds on a single
 
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